We've been covering the changes in Vale of Eternal Blossoms since the early 5.4 PTR, and now that things are live, we've updated our guide to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms and Golden Lotus once again. You'll find maps and new locations for the One Many Army rares, details on the new cooking recipes, information on which quests are still remaining, and more.

Today's newspost is about prepping for 5.4--things you should be stockpiling for the patch, as well as things you might want to get done before they're removed!

Talk Azeroth

This week Olivia's taking you on a voyage into patch 5.4 as we recently found out when it was going live on servers. She tells you just exactly what you ought to be thinking of stockpiling and what you ought to be spending, and theorizing on reasons why there might not be a Valor reset with the patch.

The main topic she wants to talk to you about this week, though, is heirlooms. Olivia's got a wacky theory she wants to share on just how the personal loot system might interact with these new heirlooms.

Then she moves onto loot equality, trying to reassure LFR-only raiders that things will turn out OK, while also waxing lyrical on the reasons why these items should and shouldn't be in LFR in the first place.

Removed Content in Patch 5.4

The weekly quests for Battlefield Barrens, as well as most special vanity items, are being removed in 5.4. You will not be able to get Latent Kor'kron transmog armor or any Darkspear Rebellion vanity gear after the patch, or complete Hordebreaker/Darkspear Revolutionary and get the resulting title.

We've broken down what's staying and going away, as well as provided our Patch 5.3 guide to the Golden Lotus if you want to experience the original rep grind before it's changed. A lot of players found Golden Lotus tedious to grind at launch, but it might be interesting to experience for lore reasons. In Patch 5.4, the Vale is corrupted into the Vale of Eternal Sorrows, and familiar figures from the Vale are Siege of Orgrimmar bosses.

Usual disclaimer: the 5.4 PTR has been up for less than a week, and things can change quite frequently! We'll keep this guide updated with further PTR developments.

What is going away:

Eternally in the Vale is being removed, as well as the related quests and rewards. Players progress farther through this quest series as they gain reputation--this is not tied to any daily quests.

The multi-tiered daily system is simplified. Some quest hubs are destroyed, such as the Golden Pagoda and Whitepetal Lake hubs.

Many parts of the Vale are now Sha-infested and destroyed. Most NPCs are tinged with grey, there are many Sha populating the zone, and there is a larger Mogu presence than before.

What is staying:

The Setting Sun Garrison is still a quest hub in 5.4. Players can complete all the quests that are tied to Quest Achievements from this hub. So far on the PTR, some quests available from the Ruins of Guo-Lai hub are now available from the Setting Sun Garrison.

Zarhym

The time is nearly upon us as the mists begin to part and a new age of discovery amidst turmoil begins! For those of you prepared to begin your adventures the moment Mists of Pandaria is launched in your region, we’ve put together some important details that should get your expedition underway.

As soon as we activate the new expansion content on launch, players who already have a Mists of Pandaria license with the data installed will gain instant access. If you’re in the game when the clock strikes midnight, you don’t even have to logout!

So, what happens at midnight for those of us with Mists ready to go?

A yellow System Message will appear in your Chat Log telling you to visit Orgrimmar or Stormwind to start your travels.

Level-85 characters will receive a new quest, no matter where they are in the world, which will guide them to Varian or Garrosh for further orders. If you’re online at midnight you will receive the quest even if your Quest Log is full -- or you can visit Varian or Garrosh to get started on your journey to Pandaria.

Level-85 players will notice their experience bars automatically change so that experience can once again be earned.

Players who are at the Character Creation screen at midnight will notice the button to create a monk character will be enabled.

We’ve been very hard at work on this new technology with the goal of ensuring that players can enjoy a more stable and seamless transition into the next expansion than ever before. Our staff will be monitoring realm stability and gameplay issues around the clock, as we want to provide you with the best experience possible.

We’ll see you on Pandaria!

Blizzard has also been updating their Mists of Pandaria zone pages and posted a Q&A with quest designer Craig Amai. Check out the Q&A after the cut--you can also learn more about the new Pandaria zones by checking out Wowhead's zone previews linked on each zone page.